Carl Wilson was a founder member - at age 13 - of the
Beach Boys and their lead guitarist.
The only member of the band who played much on their records during the peak years of the band's success, Carl also became de facto musical director of the band after his brother
Brian Wilson's abdication first from the stage and then from the studio.
Not a particularly proficient songwriter, Carl distinguished himself mostly as a performer - he had one of the greatest voices in rock & roll and sang leads on classics like Good Vibrations and God Only Knows as well as being an excellent guitarist - and as a producer on most of the band's recordings between 1967 and 1975.
During a brief absence from the band Carl recorded two solo albums,
Carl Wilson and
Youngblood, which don't really do his talent justice. A posthumous collaboration with Gerry Beckley of America and Robert Lamm of Chicago,
Like A Brother, is best avoided.
The tracklisting for his eponymous first solo album (not his finest hour, but vocally excellent), is:
- Hold Me
- Bright Lights
- What You Gonna Do About Me
- The Right Lane
- Hurry Love
- Heaven
- The Grammy
- Seems So Long Ago
The album is no longer available
Carl died in 1998 of cancer. Donations can be made to the
Carl Wilson foundation at www.carlwilsonfoundation.org .